The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1887-03-03

The colonel and the entire Twelve con
posiue the court died before ". e,
changed, shot to death" 10 one charge
Coal Hsrbor I 1.-Two 10 write the occur
renee twenty Ave years ah<r the COW ers'
iion.
/, may OF may not be trus that when ih
grim monster singles ont his victim i
sends prcmonition that be is going !
LEI ily from Deaths quivsr the fatal dsr
10 that as j. may, / had 20 premcnition
death.
Not when they stood me mp 10 hear m
sentence aud to answer. nor afterwards !
the contemplation my isolation and siler
dungeon afforded; not when the Officer o
the day. on tbs. eventual execution morn
ing. read to me in my dungeon the day
programme, and delineAtsd my doom .
the hands OF twelve detailed soldiers. II
found me whistling - ! paced my mar
row cell that morning, asd exclaimed i
surprise;
Good God. Csptsinl what kind Of ma
are your
oh, / don't know. akin and bone. hesl
and siDews. blood and bile. wbyf
Why Don't you know you are TO b
shot to day9 Outside here are the twelv,
men detailed to send yen into eternity
You'll never see another mornine AMI
here you are whistlingl
Well, why not whistle ~ long as posi-
BILE, and cry when you cannot lsugh2
Hence, may not be able 10 tell yot
Just how man feels who stares death IL
the face. for may be do not comprehend
my situation,
But / was sentenced 10 death, that
fully comprehended when they marched
me, handcuiied. between two guards, with
arms at charge" and bayonets fred
back to the prison; and. instead Of TO my
former l2xl2 cell. barred and bolted mt
10 an underground, dark. damp, dungeon
three feet by ten. with tub occupying
two feet OF that sparse space, significantly
suggestive that | was to stay right there
until the day and hour.
The sentence was fully realized during
the sunless days and darker nights OF the
weeks that followed.
Daylight Good God, man you do mol
appreciate what ray Of glad, bright sun
light is until shut in from all that makes
day beautiful.
Oh, yes; | comprehsnded, slightly, that
mine was no trifling sentence, as crouch.
ed in that felt darkness, waiting until di-
lated pupils enabled me to see imper-
fectly what was the dampness that
touched
Finally, however, was permitted ia
send out and buy lamp. and keep il
lighted. The walls had been repeatedly
white washed. but the humid filth ooziDg
through the bricks had pushed it of in
iiscolored fakes. The floor was stone; q
solid or ccmented mass that at once mega.
lived any Inorganic idea OF digging ont
Away up yonder, ten or twelve feet away,
was The arehed briek c+i'rup. whose sgeaty
,nrface told II, TOO, was un,lt'r the sod
5limy snalle apd tbonsntl legs drew
their clsmmy aa,s across the moist walls
md floor; yrfu,in found unl fed upon the
noxious dirt damp; the iisgusted rats
hat crept in at the grated door, darted
back to find n more yielding substance for
heir narrowing teeth.
But the dampness and the darkness aud
,he dirt were but grains Of dust compared
20 the unut.erabIe loneliness of that grew
upon me 10 that sepulchre. Not human
'eul, not even brute, except the scamp.
,ring rats, to break the stiffness Of that
nurky tomb Out yonder, somewhere, /
Knew was grim sentry. for heard the
measured tread Of the relief as they left
lim on his lonely post But never saw
,r heard him
Twice day, grimly silent, came the
looks detail with my barrack soup or cof-
zee But he was mute. under strict or
lcrs not to speak or signal 10 the prisoner,
IS his baker like shovel reached 10 my
norsel of tainted food
Perlitionl how ! siroye to make him
peak Ii be only would curse me- abuse
ne anything: even his prfsnity would
rave sounded rs melody in my soliiue.
| never knew what music there was in
human voice till 10 that dungeon where l
'oon grew startled at my own.
The post chaplaio was the only human
'olce heard for weeks, aud his only once,
or my levity shocked him so that he gave
ne up as au lrr'dremai,le rrprobAie. He
,iiered prayer for me. however. ! cour-
eously kuseling With Jim on the stone
ioor Bot be never came again.
He told me what my occasionally al
owed letters from my friends bad too
plainly informed me. that there was no
nope Of escape from the fate that seemed
o them aud the outside world TO be star
pg me 10 the face Every possible effort
iad been made. every available influence
pressed into service with the president,
md he had positively declined interfering
With the judgement Of the conrt- martial.
The worthy chaplain corroboraied their
nd information Said he:
Gsptsin. you shonld prepare for death.
or yonr life ends 10 few days.
Here was food for reflection. surely. In
be prime and yigor Of early manhood,
ny veins thrilling With the bounding en
.rgy OF young blood; life just begun with
Is plaos, schemes and purposes slI 10
work. ont; young wife aud two children.
nth all the hopes Of JOY existence with